Spectre: Through Fire and Steel
by De4thstopper
Summary: Spectre is having issues. Even bigger issues than usual, in fact. He knows which path of life to take, but something seems to be dragging him back, almost as if he's missing a step. But then Professor Ozpin requests to speak with him and things start to take a turn... (Presenting the third story in the Spectre series, which continues where the last story left off. Enjoy!)
1. Chapter I

Author's note: As most of you guys probably know, the RWBY community has lost a great man. On the 2nd of February 2015, Monty Oum, writer, animator and ultimately the creator of RWBY, sadly passed away after a severe allergic reaction at the age of 33. I never was one to quote the words of others when referring to matters like these, so I would prefer to use my own to praise his life:

Despite many of us not knowing Monty personally, I think we'll all agree that a tiny part of ourselves died with him, leaving a hole however big or small, that may never be filled. Without RWBY - without Monty - the characters Spectre, Shadow, Sickle, Lyone, Giles, Knowles, Topaz and the many others to come, would never have existed. Without Monty, I never would have started the writing that I love doing so much. Without Monty, I never would have met the outstanding people of the fanbase, and made the friends that I have today. I've never been one to have heroes, but Monty was pretty damned close... No, he _was _my hero, and I've only realised that now that he's gone...

I have no doubt that he intended to to finish RWBY, so I shall follow in his example. From this day forward, unless death do me part, I vow to finish this FanFic to the best of my abilities.

I send my kindest sympathies to all the people who are mourning this extraordinary man: his friends, his family and his fans.

_**I hereby dedicate this chapter to Monty Oum: 'The Man Who Started it All'**_

_**We Will Remember**_

_**#HIM**_

* * *

Chapter I: Just a Small Request...

'_You want me to what?'_

A whirlpool of mixed thoughts. It had taken me a solid minute or two of sitting on my bed to come to that conclusion. That's what my visions had become; as recent events had revealed to me, there were many more factors to my life that I hadn't considered before now. They were swarming my head relentlessly, and it was a job and a half to shut them out for a short time. They even made the Arch-Grimm look like a minor problem if I was lucky. This wasn't true though, and I knew it; this so called '_Daemon_' was a threat to mortal kind, and so far, I had been the only one to realise that. Should things remain this way, then it shall fall to me and me alone to stop the coming tide.

Whenever my mind allowed me to do so, I would recall the things I saw at Grimm's Respite, every miniscule detail that I remembered could be key to its demise. I didn't dare view the footage from Shadow's memory card though, lest it bring back bad memories. After all, people got hurt last time…

But while I saw this as the right course of action, something must have been telling me otherwise. Whenever I sat down and tried to concentrate on the topic, I'd always get distracted by stray thoughts, the happenings at the docks being one of them. Yang had even given me some of her music from that boy-band she really likes. I think they were called 'The Achieve Men' or something like that. Not exactly my kind of music, it honestly sounded like they'd be better at playing video games than singing, but I'll admit that it helped to drown stray thoughts out a little. It wasn't enough though; nothing was ever enough…

On that bleak note, I decided that I should just get on with the day and see how things went. Sometimes you've just got to go with the flow I guess. I stood from my sitting position upon my bed and stretched upward, arcing my arms to my sides gradually. My left shoulder was still bruised heavily from a few days ago, and had been somewhat of a nuisance since. It was painful yes, but it wasn't something I'd moan about easily. Like I said, just go with the flow.

Then I turned to look at my room. Finally seeing sense, I requested that the room be refurnished and repaired, at my own expense of course. Everything had been cleared out bar my bed and the shelves. The walls had been re-plastered on the first day and I'm just waiting for the new furniture to come through now. It felt a lot emptier than before; it was cleaner, yes, but I don't think I recognised it as my own anymore.

Without the urge to punch anything this morning, I grabbed my scroll from the shelf and looked at the time. 3:36, around the usual for me. Something I wasn't completely used to yet though, was something that Yang and I called 'the punch bag run'. Every other morning, I would go out jogging and take the punch bag with me. At this point it served as more of a big heavy child for us to look after than something I beat and batter to pieces; Yang had even taken to cleaning its rough leather skin whenever it got dirty. I on the other hand, had to make sure it was used, and seeing as mounting brackets were apparently hard to come by, I ended up using it as dead weight to haul around. It helped with building body strength I suppose. It did keep Yang happy though, which in turn made me happy.

But I guess that was all the daydreaming I was going to get today, so I resorted to 'more jogging, less thinking'.

* * *

I'd come to the conclusion that jogging no longer cleared my head. Well, not for long at least. Even now as I sat down for breakfast with my trusty punch bag to my right, those cursed pictures sprung to mind. Being the only one to even slightly appreciate my usual slurry, I felt bad for un-intentionally leaving it for several minutes at a time whilst I just sat there staring into space. On that note, I tore my conscience back into reality and took another sip from my pancake/cardboard flavoured shake.

"Good morning Spectre." I turned to see a familiar red head smiling back at me, a water bottle in her hand. She was a little sweaty, but other than that, she was the champion we all knew.

"Morning Pyrrha," I greeted as she sat beside me, "Isn't it a bit early for you to be up and about?"

"Not for much longer it won't," she said, indicating to the running gear she was wearing, "I saw you out jogging so I figured that I could start too."

I raised an eyebrow. "You don't need it; you could probably fight for hours before losing your breath."

"Maybe. If anything, I'd draw the line at fighting you."

I faced her now. "That time didn't count, P. I didn't exactly have the most stable frame of mind that day."

"I know," she said, her tone softening a little, "And that's why I need to get better. If you had a clearer head, you could have beaten me a lot more tactfully."

I returned my gaze to my breakfast, considering the idea. Eventually I just grunted and took another slurp, those recurring thoughts fading into my mind again. Everything seemed to blur as my eyes glazed over and my hearing became muffled. You could say that it was almost trance like...

"Spectre?"

I blinked and everything suddenly returned to normal. I turned to Pyrrha, but when I spoke, I nearly spilled the contents of my mouth within my helmet. I held up a hand and swallowed, but it went down the wrong way and hurt my throat, leaving me to cough for air afterwards.

"You okay?" Pyrrha asked.

"Yeah..." I spluttered before clearing my throat, "I just... got a little distracted."

"Apparently you're doing that a lot lately. That's what the others said anyway..."

I sighed. "Look, I know you guys are worried for me, and I know it's only natural - but I'll be _fine_. I've always been able to pull through on my own, so I don't see why this isn't going to be an exception. It's my burden to bare and I will endure it."

Her expression turned to a mixture of pity and disappointment. "Well, if you say so..." she replied glumly, looking down at the table top. It was obvious that she thought otherwise. They all did. Team RWBY, the rest of JNPR, even some of the teachers let a little doubt show on their faces. That said, I guess anyone would need a little faith to prove otherwise and the only way they were going to get any, was through my actions.

"So," I asked, changing the subject, "Have I missed anything on your end?"

She stared at me for a moment, a little surprised at my inquest. "Well, it turns out that I may need you to cover Jaune's extra Grimm Studies lessons after all."

"How so?" I asked.

"The guy who I had covering it has sort of... gone quiet. I don't really see him too much and his team mates don't see him in class anymore..."

I nodded, trying to formulate some kind of conclusion. "What's his name?"

"His name is Zayne Phantos," she began, "He's a Wolf Faunus who used to live outside of the Kingdoms. He practically hunted Grimm to survive, so that's why I chose him over you..."

"I understand," I said before she could apologise, "Anything else?"

"Well, if you're interested; I'm sure he won't mind me telling you. His friend, the one he came here with, is now in a coma after a mission. From what I've heard from his team mate, he blames what happened on his_ other_ team mate and doesn't want to be around him anymore."

I nodded slowly. "So he's resigned from Beacon?"

"Oh, no," she replied, shaking her head quickly, "I don't think he'd do _that_. I think he just takes a lot of time off."

I looked back into my vomit-like meal, reflecting on things. His situation was very familiar to mine, so I could relate. When I voiced this to Pyrrha, she simply shrugged.

"That's why I told you; because I knew you'd understand."

I feinted a chuckle. "You've put some thought into this, haven't you?"

She smiled a little more. "I always do. I generally plan how things go when I talk to you." Then she paused, unsure whether to leave the comment where it was or not. She decided to continue though: "You can be a little..."

"Volatile?" I finished, "Don't worry, I get it."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I'm sure P," I replied hollowly, "Like I said, I will endure."

With that, the red head put on another smile. I could tell it was fake though; only one or two people could ever understand me to that degree, and most of them were dead and buried...

"Speaking of endurance," she pressed, wanting to move on, "Jaune said he wanted to come out here and run with you."

"Is he sure?" I asked in surprise, "By the time he's done, his legs won't even know they're legs..."

"I know. I told him that, but he seemed pretty determined to try it. That's another reason why I'm here with you."

"Now that's more like the Pyrrha I know..." I muttered just loud enough for her to hear. "We'll need to start small rather than throwing him in the deep end; heroes aren't made in a day."

Pyrrha sat up a little straighter, as if a little proud of her next announcement. "I'm right ahead of you. I plan to take him out until I think he's ready for you. I'll spare you the details."

I smiled again. "Damn, we're good aren't we?"

She laughed a little at that. "Yeah... I guess we are." Then that triggered something and her eyes widened in realisation. "Oh! That reminds me, you know those rumours about advanced classes?"

How could I forget? Yang and Ruby were practically ecstatic about them, and so was the rest of the academy come to think of it. "Yes," I replied bluntly.

"Well, it turns out that they're true. Apparently some of the older students say that they are teaching us. Do you believe that?"

I finished off my breakfast quickly before answering. "I guess it make sense," I thought aloud, "Who's good enough to teach us though? I mean, if it's advanced classes, they're going to be exclusively for the best, right?"

She shrugged. "I guess that's true... I'm not entirely sure to be honest; people are keeping things close to their chest regarding these classes."

"So who did you hear this from?"

"You know Velvet, right? She's a Rabbit Faunus with brown hair."

"I haven't spoken to her before, but I've seen her around."

"Right, well apparently a friend of hers has been asked to teach by Professor Ozpin himself. That's very impressive." She wasn't wrong; being asked to do something like that by Professor Ozpin was a sign in itself. To be recognised by him was something that a lot of people could only dream of. Teaching never was my sort of thing, but I understood it well enough. "Uh, Spectre?"

"Hmm?"

Pyrrha released a short sigh. "You zoned out again, didn't you?"

"You know what?" I began, realisation dawning on me, "I think I just did... You were saying about teaching for the Professor."

"Yeah," she smiled, "I think you should do it."

"What, teach the advanced class?"

She nodded. "Yes. You do so well with Jaune and I think others could benefit the same."

"No," I spat out unintentionally.

Her face dropped. "But why not? People respect you; you'd be great at it."

"They respect me through fear, P," I protested, a new air of seriousness on my voice, "They don't know me like you guys do."

"I'm sure it's not like _that_... Why don't you just try? Then you'll find out for sure."

I hesitated, trying to come up with a good answer. Then I just decided to be honest. "Do you know why I came here in the first place? Why Shadow and I accepted the positions handed to us?"

Her face turned serious as she leaned in closer. "No. I guess it's not a simple reason, is it?"

I turned away from her and looked down onto the table. "Before Miss Goodwitch approached us about a year ago, we had the skill, the money and the friends to live our lives happily. But there was one piece missing." I looked to her again, her focused expression fixed to my visor. "We weren't normal. I'll admit that it was more of a thing that Shadow was concerned about, but after the time we spent at the Atlas Academy (insert name here), I started to feel the same. And now that she's... in a better place, I feel that it's down to me to make her dream become a reality."

I'm sure that something like that was hard to respond to; the silence that followed proved that. But just as I knew she would, she found her answer. "Wow... So, you think that teaching will set you apart even further from normal people?" She sighed. "It must be hard to be you; I'm sorry for pushing you..."

"Please don't be," I interrupted, "You were right to do that. I'm pretty sure that you've already gathered, but I can be as stubborn as a mule. A push like that is generally what I need for a kick-start."

"So you'll consider it?" Pyrrha asked, her face brightening up quickly.

"I'll _consider _it, yes."

There was that heart-warming smile again. "That's good enough for me. What's the time?"

I glanced at my scroll. "5:51."

"In that case, I'd better get going," she said as she rose from her seat. "It was nice to talk again."

I smiled. "Yeah, I'll see you on the sparring field P."

"See you later Spectre!" It wasn't long before she was gone without a trace. Damn, she was quick when she wanted to be...

It wasn't too long before I followed suit, I had weapons to check, a day to plan and my own head to combat. I sighed, "Let's get to it then..."

* * *

"Sorry, you want me to what?"

"Would you like me to repeat the question, Spectre?" Professor Ozpin asked in his usual bland fashion.

We were sat in his office, his desk barred between us and the gears grinding away from above. There was the familiar scent of coffee emitting from the steaming mug in front of me, the same mug that he was now drinking from as he awaited my response.

"Apologies again sir, I just got a little... distracted. Can you just start from square one please?"

He hesitated for no more than a moment, then made the faintest of nods. "If that is what you wish. Now, you came into my office not five minutes ago, asking about potential teaching opportunities for a select group of students. I assume that is correct?"

"Yes, that bit I remember," I said eagerly, "I didn't catch anything after that though."

"I see; allow me to enlighten you. The simple answer is no." I was actually surprised by that; knowing what teachers were like, they'd quite easily jump on this opportunity. But it was the bluntness of how he said it that intrigued me most, so I listened further. "This is because I have another task for you to complete."

"Okay..." I replied with uncertainty, "Go on."

He took another sip from his mug and clasped his hands together. "I would request that you forge a team."

I looked down to the table top and sighed before returning to the conversation. "Sir, with respect, I thought I made it clear that I didn't want a team. I don't want to be held accountable for the deaths of-"

"Spectre, I fear that if you do not conduct this, much more bloodshed will be at your feet," he cut off suddenly. The way his tone turned dark in an instant and the bluntness of his comment caught me off guard completely. Before I could inquire further, he continued. "Forgive my sudden outburst, allow me to explain. I too believe that the Daemon is a threat. Only when Professor Port informed me of the footage that you had recovered from Grimm's Respite, did I become aware of the danger that it poses to mankind."

I knew exactly where he was going with this and despite how much I hated it, I knew he was right.

"_You _have encountered it and survived to tell the tale, which means that _you _know the most about this new enemy. But you cannot fight it alone, your previous encounter proved that. _That _is why I ask you to do this; to risk the lives of few in order to save millions."

I couldn't think of what to say to that; there wasn't much out there that could shock me like that. There was just _so much _going on in my head; it felt almost impossible to do anything, let alone make a decision on the spot like that.

"I apologise, Spectre," Ozpin said, slumping back in his chair slightly, "but I do not see another option."

I guess that summed it up for me then; people had need of me, and I would answer. I couldn't help that I was back tracking though, losing the valuable progress that I had made over the last semester here at Beacon. "Shadow, I'm sorry," I thought skyward, or to where ever she was right now. I then sighed again and addressed the Headmaster. "What do you need me to do?"

I guessed he'd concluded that sugar coatings weren't going to help anymore, so he replied simply. "This is not a task for any ordinary group of individuals. For that reason, I have left the designation of team members to you. From there, you will train them for what is to come and lead them when the time is right."

"So you're saying that I can recruit anyone within the Academy?"

"I'm implying that you can recruit anyone _on Remnant_. I do not believe that Beacon holds all of the traits that you will require."

I think I was starting to get a headache just thinking about it. "The entirety of Remnant? That's not a small thing you're asking of me here, sir..."

"As I am well aware," he confirmed, bringing his scroll to bare. "For your convenience, I have prepared a list of potential candidates that you may or may not take into consideration. I will upload it to your scroll's personal database so that you may refer to it whenever you feel inclined to do so."

I nodded slowly. Well, at least it was a start... "What's the deadline for forming this team?" I asked.

"There is none, but be prepared to strike at any time. Also, be aware that your team will be officially recognised as students at Beacon once they have been selected."

"Why?" I questioned, "I mean, I don't really see the point of doing that."

"On the contrary, there is a perfectly good reason for doing so. There are many in this world who would intervene and view this movement as a threat. Secrecy is key here."

I slumped in my chair. "I see..." I won't lie and say that I wasn't trying to think my way out of this; I didn't know what would happen in the end. I didn't care about dying, my life was pretty much meaningless to me anyway, but I still wasn't sure. Then, as if against my own will, I stood. "I'd better get started then."

"Very well, Spectre," Ozpin replied, standing himself now, "Should you require assistance, do not hesitate to seek me out."

I nodded my thanks and made for the door. "What the hell am I getting myself into now?" I asked myself, keeping my voice low so mastermind behind me could not hear.

* * *

Darkness fell quickly that night. It wasn't long before the rain started to roll in and students scrambled for the dorm building, their day to day shenanigans finished and their bodies fatigued. I too was in my dorm, contemplating as I always seemed to be. This time however, I had company in the form of the tall blonde that I was currently in an early relationship with. She was amazing, beautiful and witty; I was truly lucky to have her, as anyone would be. She was one of the few reasons that I held on in the world, one of the few things that I felt really mattered.

Yang looked down at me. "You haven't spoken for a little while."

"I know," I said calmly, "I'm just thinking."

"Why are you lying down? You never do that."

"I know, I'm just thinking," I repeated, as if I was tape recorder.

For a moment she was lost from view, then I saw a flash of yellow as the back of her head slammed against my chest as if I were a pillow. "What'ya thinking about?" she asked playfully.

I shrugged. "Things."

She didn't like that. With a huff, she lifted herself off of me and sat up. "Sit."

"Yang..."

"Now."

"We're not having a repeat of last time, are we?"

"Not if you do what I say. Now sit up."

"Did I mention that I'm not a dog?"

"SPECTRE!" she said, just short of screaming. Recalling what happened the last time, I didn't want the refurbishing work to start all over again, so I did as I was asked. After that, she pulled me into a surprisingly soft hug. "You know that I worry about you, right?"

A part of me was sick of hearing this, but now that I thought about it, it was something that I'd just have to deal with. "Yeah..." I replied honestly.

"There must be so much in that head of yours; I don't know how you cope with it. You're just so canned up about things..."

"Hold on a minute Yang," I interrupted, pushing her away gently. "I don't feel that I need this, but if it makes you feel better I can speak my mind."

I noticed her face light up when I finished; it was nice to see. "You're really going to do that just for me?"

I put my arm around her and drew her close. "Of course I will."

She put on that lovely smile of hers. "You can be really sweet sometimes."

"Only when I want to be. Now, I'd get comfy if I were you."

She leaned her head onto my shoulder and shuffled on the spot a little. "Okay, now speak minion!"

"Don't push your luck."

"Oh, I intend to," she replied, sending a quick wink my way.

I chuckled lightly and dismissed the comment. Then I began. "You know the 'Arch Grimm'?"

"Mmhmm."

"Well, Professor Ozpin has asked me to build a kill team to fight it."

"Wow. That's a pretty big thing. Have you thought about who you wanna pick?"

I would have expected her to just straight out ask if she could join; I guess I was wrong in that respect. "A little. He hasn't given me any boundaries to choose from, so I can pick anyone in the world..."

"Oh... Okay, _that's _pretty hard."

"You don't say... He's given me a list of candidates for a start, but it's still pretty daunting."

"Uh huh..." Yang fell silent for the next few seconds, probably thinking of the right thing to say. She came out with this: "I'm not saying that you have to, but I'm always around if you need a hand, okay honey?"

I hesitated. "That's not what I'd expect you to say."

"I know, I just feel that this is one thing that you'd like to do by yourself."

I looked at her, adding a concerned tone to my voice. "I thought you wanted me to share more things with you..."

"I just wanna feel like I'm helping, that's all," Yang replied, moving her head to look back at me, "It's kinda my job now."

I smiled at that; something told me that she knew I was too. "Yang, you'll always be helping me. No matter how little you think you're doing, you'll be doing so much more from my side of things. And I'm so thankful for that."

Her stunningly lilac eyes glinted in response to the compliment, as if her heart had melted within her chest. "Awww Spectre!" She reached forward and pressed her lips against my helmet, right where my cheek would be. I was paralyzed for a short period; nobody had ever kissed me before, I didn't even know where to start from there. She then returned her head firmly to my shoulder and wrapped her arms around my waist. "You're the greatest guy I've ever met!"

* * *

It wasn't too long before she left to join her team next door, plunging me back to the harsh world that was just about everything else that revolved around me. Before she left however, we decided to look at the list that the Professor had given me. The one at the top was the one that most interested us and the one we knew least about.

"Number 1742..." I thought to myself. There was no picture, no other information, only a nav coordinate. I looked it up on the global GPS on my scroll and it pointed to a small cave entrance, not too far from the southern walls of Atlas... A cave that even on a map seemed awfully familiar from somewhere. _That's _what interested me so much; it seemed like I was being drawn into investigating that place.

My decision made, I packed my things and made a few calls as preparation for the day to come. As I sat cross-legged on my bed, I remembered the image of the three silhouettes at my side, a fierce fire behind us and weapons bared. "A group forged through the fires of conflict and the clashing of steel," I muttered to myself in reflection. Then I closed my eyes and relaxed into the seemingly peaceful state of meditation.

* * *

Author's note (Part 2): Now that my contribution to remembering Monty has been said, I'll use this space to get some general things out there.

So this chapter was a little slow paced, just to set the scene for the rest of the story. The next chapter is going to pick up though, so don't worry! It's also going to have a twist to it, so get ready for that too. And just a general update regarding my next project, I'm thinking of posting extracts for each of my story ideas in their respective categories, just to help voting for the poll along a bit. I'll get to it if I find some spare time.

That's about it for this time around; I did release this chapter earlier than planned, so the next chapter might be a while yet. Other than that, thanks for reading and see you later!


	2. Chapter II

Author's Note: Hey guys! Well, I guess I have some explaining to do, don't I? Around ten months without releasing a chapter? I _have_ been slacking...

That said, I guess I have good reason to do so. After finishing college in June, I managed to land myself full time employment, so I'm now an engineering management apprentice for the civil service. For those of you who know what the civil service is, you'll understand that the job certainly keeps me busy, but pays pretty well, so I can't really moan :). I'd also like to blame all the video games and this new gaming PC I am currently writing on for a number of distractions XD.

But despite all of this, I don't think a single day has gone by with me thinking about this fic, what I have planned for the future, and how far to take it. Building off from this, I'd like to say that I may be editing a few of the previous chapters to better explain information, add one or two little extra things and change a few more things to make them sound so much more badass. I'm still not too certain about returning to regular releases just yet, but if I have a sudden writing blitz, we'll see what happens.

Also, art is on the way! As my previous artist was overloaded, I've moved onto another artist who will hopefully have something soon (shout out to CJ's friend!).

And finally, I just wanna say thanks to all of you for being so patient with me. I still have big things planned for this, so IT WILL BE FINISHED. So yeah, until next time (Hopefully soon)!

P.S: Greetings newcomers! That's right, I saw you guys make like Randy Orton come outta nowhere! Just wanna say thanks for following my work and giving me a pleasant surprise whenever I open my e-mails. GG WP.

* * *

Chapter II: Awakening

'_Number 1742?'_

I opened my eyes. Silence. I was dreaming again, wasn't I? I sat up from my cold steely resting place and looked around. I knew where I was; the whitewashed walls and the grey metal floors were all too familiar to me. It was neither cold nor warm in this room; there was no furniture except for a heavy metal chair and the table that I curled up to sleep on whenever I was tired. Bland. Fake is another good word. I think that's the right word anyway...

I sighed. It didn't matter, I was still stuck in here. I never left, done my business or even ate. I was just... here - trapped in this box of a room for as long as I could remember... which wasn't that much come to think of it.

There _was_ something to do though. On the adjacent wall to the head of my 'bed' was a slender window. It was the smallest and only sense of freedom that I had. Its edges were coated with frost today; I can't remember it being any different, or even the same for that matter.

I didn't feel the need to stretch, but I did it anyway. I'm not really sure why... I then flipped my legs around to dangle towards the floor and slipped off of the table. The window was a little too high for me to see out of, so I often used the chair to stand on. As per usual, I pushed the chair against the wall so it was just right, then stepped up onto it. I didn't dare to stop for a breath; they didn't like it when I looked out of the window, so I needed to be quick.

Before gazing off into the distance, I studied the faded reflection staring back at me. She was a girl; maybe about thirteen? She had eyes that glistened like emeralds and flowing auburn hair that always seemed to stay neat. Her complexion was pale, but not a ghostly pale; she was sort of pretty actually... It wasn't very often that I looked at myself in the window, which made me a little happier.

Returning my focus to the background, I looked out into the seamless white of the snow outside. I imagined going out and playing in the snow. I wonder if you could build sculptures with it and maybe even make it into balls and throw them around... But then I saw something new; something that stood out in the white. It was just a black spec at first, but as it grew closer, it looked more and more like a person. It was almost hypnotising, I just couldn't pull my eyes off of him... Her? It? I couldn't tell. I could feel the hairs on the back of my neck start stick up as the anxiety started to seep in.

Suddenly, three heavy metallic thudding sounds echoed through the room, making me jump. I didn't bother looking at the cell-like door from where the sounds came from; somehow I knew they would be coming in anyway. As quietly as I could, I leapt off the chair and shoved it back to exactly where it was. Then as soon as I looked at the door, it flung open into the room and a pair of bleak looking men entered. They were almost identical; they wore a full set of white scrubs and an ivory coloured face mask over their mouths and noses.

"You," one of them said in a dull tone, "Number 1742?" I looked to my left arm and lifted up the sleeve of my nightgown. Under the crisp white material, was a four digit number, imprinted into my very flesh. My number. I don't know if the men had names; I was only ever called by my number, and they never talked to each other. Did I have a name? Had that ever occurred to me? I guess not...

They only continued when I nodded in response. "Follow us." I didn't see any other option, they'd probably drag me with them if I refused. Had I done something wrong? It was hard to tell... As I followed one, the other put my hands together and put something tight around my wrists. As soon as they clicked into place, I felt drained, empty, or numb – like I wasn't even alive anymore. I was scared now, the two men towering over me, like I was dirt on their shoes, not worthy of their time or attention.

They acted in the same way towards the countless doors in the endless corridor that they lead me through. They were so focused on what they were doing that they didn't even bother to look around, their heads fixed forward. Each of the doors were equally spaced and exactly the same as the one to my room, which only added to the feeling of everlasting.

It felt like far too long by the time we reached the end. We were greeted by a much larger door, spanning the entire width of the corridor. It was much darker than the others, and there were a lot fewer doors at this end, making it seem that much bigger. I had a bad feeling about that door, but something just... drew me in.

"Please, have a seat."

For whatever reason, I did that, leaving the two men who escorted me behind. The seat looked and felt incredibly comfy; for me it was like heaven.

"Yes, please do make yourself comfortable. This will only take a minute," came the invisible voice again. The door behind me hissed closed and finished with a loud clunking noise. Oddly enough, that didn't bother me, and nor did the gaseous vapour that was being sprayed into the room. It wasn't long before my eyes grew heavy and shut completely, leading me into a deep, deep sleep.

* * *

I opened my eyes. Silence. I think I was dreaming again, only this time was a little different. Wait, how did I know that? I've never remembered these things before... Things like the two men and the gas and the silhouette...

My eyes widened and I slid off my bed and made for the chair. I didn't bother with being quiet this time; things like this had never happened before – I don't think - and I wanted to know just what _it_ was. As I pulled myself up to the window, I could see the black mark on the landscape. It was definitely a person, the way it moved and its shape gave it away. And then it... waved at me? Why would they do that? That just sounds silly...

Then came the bangs on the door, making me jump just like the last time. I quickly shoved the chair back and turned back around just in time for the two men to enter.

"You. Number 1742?" the first one asked in that dull tone again. I pulled up the sleeve of my nightgown, feeling the déjà vu sink in as the same number remained on my arm. I nodded. "Follow us," the man droned, exactly the same as before. Despite this, I knew that _something_ was different. But there never were any differences, at least, not that I remembered... And what about that shadow?

*Click.* The same feeling of emptiness just swallowed me whole; it wasn't a bit that I wanted to relive... I managed to glance back at the window before the men started pushing me onwards. "Move," the second man said in a harsher tone than the first. I had no choice but to go with them into the same abyss-like corridor, finally finishing at the great iron bulkhead at its end.

"Please, have a seat."

Just as I remembered, I was drawn in; and despite the dangers, I still sat down in that chair.

"Make yourself comfortable, I insist. This shouldn't take too long." Even as he spoke the hissing of the door started from behind me; I didn't even care. And then the gas came once more.

* * *

I opened my eyes. Silence. I wasn't dreaming; I can't have been. It was all too real. My eyes widened: the window. I leapt from my bed, not caring for the noise this time, as if the world depended on it. _My _world depended on it...

Once I had hauled the chair over to the window, it's harsh screeches of protest piercing my ears, I placed my bare feet on its cold surface, and fixed my eyes to the window. I saw... nothing. No spec in the distance, no black figure waving back at me... Nothing but my own reflection in the glass.

I couldn't believe it; was all of this just a trick? It couldn't be, could it? I sighed, my breath adding to the thick layer of condensation on the window. For the next few seconds I felt more alone than I think I ever had, but then the door swung open.

The two men burst in. "Get away from that window!" the first commanded in monotone.

The noise made me jump so much, that I fell backwards and hit my head on the floor. It hurt _so_ much…

"Come on, get up!" the second said, prepping the wrist restraints.

I felt a little wobbly, but I managed to get onto my feet. My head was throbbing now and their loud demands weren't making it much better…

The first asked me: "Number 17-". Suddenly, an alarm rang out. At first it was deafening; I tried to cover my ears but it still didn't help. I could just about make out what the men were saying:

"The facility's perimeter has been breached."

"They may need us to defend the facility…"

"And leave the girl? No, she must be guarded; she has heard too much…"

By now my head was pulsing and the pain jabbed in my head repeatedly, getting worse every time.

"Do you feel that?" one of the guards said.

"What?"

"My head, it aches all of a sudden…"

The second man hesitated. "Look, your nose-" He then touched his head and winced at what looked like a similar headache.

The first guard ran his finger under his nose and looked at the blood that soaked it. "What the-" The then put his hands over his ears and started groaning slightly, blood starting to trickle through his fingers.

The second guard coughed and sputtered as he too started bleeding, from his mouth this time. And then… he was crying? No, he was crying _blood_, the deep red tears straining his cheeks.

But my head… My head hurt so much now… I couldn't bear it much longer; I felt like crying out. It was then that something had occurred to the men. They turned to me with frightful expressions on their faces.

"Oh no…"

I wailed out, the pain too much to handle. But it wasn't just my screams in that room; the two men quickly fell to their knees and shrieked in pain too. It surprised me so much that I stopped and watched in horror as they curled up and… died.

All the screaming had eventually died down into nothing. The alarm seemed much quieter now and my headache had gone, but I didn't care for that. I had just killed two men, and I didn't even try.

I could feel tears, normal tears, welling up in my eyes. I was scared and confused and who knows what else. I hadn't even registered that I had already ran through the door and into the corridor, trying desperately to get away from the hell that I had just made for myself. I didn't look back; I was just too afraid.

* * *

It was only a few minutes before I had curled up against the wall and given up. I just couldn't do it; how could I run when I had no idea where to run to? Everything in the corridors just looked the same and I couldn't even remember the way back to my room. I was lost with no hope of escape in sight.

But then… she came.

"Hello."

I looked up with tearful eyes to see a figure in black clothing staring down at me with a concerned look.

As I rubbed my eyes, she kneeled down her face level with mine. "Are you okay?"

I shook my head. If it were anyone else I would have been terrified, but for whatever reason, she was different. Her pale blue eyes just seemed to have a calm and friendly tone to them…

I hardly noticed it, but the figure was sat next to me now, her feet flat on the floor with her knees just level with her chin. "What's the matter?" she asked softly, "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone; I promise."

It took me a few moments to get myself together, but even then I cracked. "I want to leave this place… It's horrible, and... I hate it here…"

The older girl inclined her head slightly. "So why don't you just leave?"

I dug my head into my arms. "I... I'm lost…". I could tell she was still looking at me. Eventually, she replied: "I can show you the way if you like."

"You can?" I asked, looking up and wiping my running nose with my sleeve.

She nods. "Yes; it's not that far really, you just need to find the right corridors to take." She stood up in front of me and gave me her hand. "Come on, we'll do it together."

I looked up, her calming face gazing back at me. There wasn't any other option, but if there was, I think I would chose to go with her no matter what. I took her hand and she pulled me up gently. "I'll follow you."

She smiled softly before silently moving onwards.

* * *

The girl really did know where she was going; it wasn't long until she guided me to a corridor which was much wider than the others, almost like a main corridor sort of thing. Something told me that we were nearly out and so far, nobody had spotted us, which was good. But then…

The girl spun around just before I rounded the corner. "People are coming! Quick, hide in here!" she said, pointing out a small nook where a control panel was housed. I tucked myself in without making a sound, and just in time too. Seconds later, a group of men with weapons ran into the intersection and stopped briefly. I held my breath in hope that they didn't see the other girl, who was just stood there watching them, not even trying to hide.

A man who looked like a leader spoke up in a familiarly dull tone: "There are sector breaches at the North and East entrances. You four, go the the North. The rest will come with me to the East." Without a word the group split, moving off in two directions. After a few seconds, the girl told me to come out after looking both ways down the corridor.

I stared at her. "How did they not see you?"

"That doesn't matter," she said, like she was distracted with something else. She turned and kneeled down to my level. "The exit is just down there." I looked to where she pointed and saw a large door where the bigger group of men went. It was about halfway closed when I could hear gunfire, which suddenly faded as soon as the door sealed.

She made her way towards the door, pausing momentarily to check that I was following. When I caught up with her, we carried on. "We'll need to hack the terminal to let you out; I'll tell you what to press, don't worry."

I didn't see why I needed to press the buttons, but I wasn't worried about that; all I wanted to do was leave this place, and I was _so_ close now.

The girl stared at the computer for a few moments, then pointed at the keys she wanted me to press. Like magic, the locks cluncked open, and it slowly began to open. I heard the gunfire again, this time with people screaming, just like the other men who died in my cell. It was that which petrified me. All I wanted to do was close the door and run in the other direction.

The girl was looking at me, knowing exactly how I felt. "I know it looks scary on the other side, but my brother is there; he'll look after you, I promise. All you need to do is be brave."

After that moment where everything seemed to collapse, all it took was one look in her eyes and I felt just enough courage to be able to move through the door, and to freedom. I nodded to show that I understood, but I think she already knew that.

"Great," she smiled, "I knew you could do it." Then her face grew sad all of a sudden. "I need you to do one more thing…"

"What is it?" I asked.

"Please don't tell anyone you saw me, especially not my brother… It's very important, believe me."

I suppose that after she was so nice to me, it was the least I could do. "Okay."

"Do you promise?"

"I promise."

She made a sad smile, then hurried away. "Thank you; I need to go now, good luck!"

She turned to go back the way we came, but I had one last question for her.

"Do you have a name?" I asked, my voice raised.

She stopped and thought for a little before turning back. "Shadow," she replied simply.

-(CHARACTER SWAP) -

I don't know what drove me to attack those men so violently; whether they could feel it or not, whether they _deserved _it or not, I could never tell. Either way, I cut them down, shot them or otherwise left them maimed if they didn't die afterwards…

There were only two more left standing; two of twenty nine if memory serves me correctly. One fell to _Fall's _dust rounds while the other went down after a pair of horizontal slashes. Just like that, on the floor, unmoving, almost like they had just switched off. There was no effort; it was like I had thought it, and it just... happened. I stood there for a moment, trying to recall the flash of time between entering this place and finishing my initial assault.

"Urgh…" My head focused on the source of the sound, _Doom _pointed towards my new target. He was the last, propped up against the cave wall, a gaping wound across his chest. I paced forward, my blade pressed against his throat.

His cough turned into a slight gurgle. "You can… never…" His head rolled towards the bulkhead marking the entrance to the main facility. The last I checked the door was closed, but to my surprise it now lied open. And in the doorway stood a small girl both in height and age. Her face was pale, either through complexion or fear - but she stood her ground all the same.

I stepped away from the man, who had blacked out at this point and kept my gaze on the girl, sheathing my weapons as I did so. She wasn't a threat, but somehow I felt that she was much more important than that. "Hello," I said calmly. I think I noticed the tiniest of jumps from her when I spoke, but I didn't think that she was too scared. I lifted my hood back and knelt down beside her. "My name is Spectre; what's your name?"

In almost complete silence, she glanced down to her wrist and lifted up her sleeve hesitantly. On her arm was the number '1742', stamped deeply into the skin. You could see where her blood struggled to circulate around that area; poor girl. It was her alright, the person I had come for. In any other circumstance, I wouldn't have thought it possible for a girl so young to be the first member of my team, but given the limited evidence to prove otherwise, there could be no other.

She was looking in my direction now, the same shocked expression on her face. Only, she wasn't looking _at_ me, but past me...

I spun around and flashed _Doom _in a horizontal slash, only for it to be caught and held back. "Easy kid…" the dark haired figure replied.

Upon hearing his coarse voice with the hint of a drunken slur, I lowered my weapon. "Qrow."

He glanced around casually. "Looks like you didn't need any help after all. Not bad."

I nodded. "All clear on your end I take it?"

"Yeah, it wasn't too much of a challenge; I don't think they saw us coming." He brings out a hip flask and looks around me. "So that's her, huh?"

I look at the girl behind me. "It seems so. She has the number on her arm."

"You always were trivial Ozzy…" he mutters, taking a swig from his flask and rubbing his mouth with his sleeve. "The number was 1742, right?"

"Yeah, why?"

"I had a little snoop around the place before coming here. I found this in some sorta armory." He pulls out a brass-gold sceptre, about the one and a half forearms in length. It had a sphere at its end had a thick blue ribbon wrapped around the shaft. "It was clamped in a store labeled with that number."

I took the weapon from him and inspected it further. Around the sphere where a series of inscribed symbols and runes that I didn't recognise. The lower end of the sceptre also jutted out to the sides, as if something should come out, or attach to it.

I looked back at the girl behind me and held it out to her. I studied her quizzical expression. "Have you ever seen this before?" She looked at it a little longer before shaking her head and looking back at me, as silent as before.

I nodded briefly, in the most comforting way I could, then returned to Qrow. "Well the number can't be a coincidence... " I think aloud, looking down at the item in my hand. "I guess I'll hold onto this for now; no point in leaving it here."

"Yeah," Qrow replied, "Something tells me you're gonna need that thing sooner or later." I was just about to inquire on his reasons for the statement, but he spoke again before I had the chance. "Go on, you two better get outta here, I'm sure your ride's waiting for you outside."

I inclined my head. "What about you?"

He put his hip flask away and motions down the open corridor. "I'm gonna have a poke around here for a little while, see if I can't find anything else."

I knew he was right, that it was better for me to take the girl and go, but… I still felt drawn to this place. One little voice in my head was screaming for me to go in myself. It all felt strangely familiar...

"Hey, uh, kid?" I zoned back in to see Qrow swiping his hand in front of my face. When I looked at his stern expression, he spoke again. "Back in the world of the living?"

I glanced between him and the girl, who was now looking at my in a curious fashion. "I, uh, yeah… Like you said, we'd better get going…"

"Well go on then; Ozpin isn't gonna be happy if you two don't get back to Beacon in one piece. And I wanna get down to business, so…"

"Understood," I said with a nod. I moved to the girl and knelt down before her again, offering her my hand. "Come on, let's get you somewhere safe."

She looked down at the hand, then to me and back to the hand again. Then, with a moment's hesitation, she nodded and took it. As my fingers closed around it, I could feel just how cold she was. It made me think of Shadow, her body frigid to the touch, her lifeless body resting softly in my arms on that cursed day. But then, as if it had never been there, it was pushed away.

As I snapped out of my trance, I glanced down the corridor one last time; I was never quite sure why, but it just had to mean something…

I rose in silence, gently pulling the girl with me before she caught up to my side. Just as we passed Qrow, the grizzled huntsman spoke for a final time.

"Hey Spectre." I turned to him. "A storm's coming. I get the feeling that things are gonna get a whole lot harder for us soon and Professor Ozpin is gonna need all the help he can get. Be ready for when that time comes."

Taking a moment to think over his words, I nod my luck to him and trek back up to the cave mouth.

* * *

A few minutes had passed before we could see the white light of a thousand stars twinkling through the cave mouth. We battled with the freezing wind as it funneled it's way towards us. As we stepped out into the open air, I removed my cape and wrapped it around my new companion, and as I did so, she looked up at the sky in what seemed to be awe. I followed her gaze and stared up at the striking colours lapping across the night sky.

"Aurora."

I looked down at the girl beside me, wrapped up tight like a grey cocoon. "Yes, an Aurora."

She looked at me and shook her head. "No, my name. It's Aurora."


End file.
